Savages: The Wedding

A gripping saga in four volumes-bringing together the ambition and scope of nineteenth-century literary epics and the pacing of a modern thriller.
A Saturday in May. Paris.
It's the eve of the French presidential elections - 'The Election of the Century' say the newspaper headlines - and Chaouch, the nation's first Arab candidate, has victory in his sights. It has been a long campaign, and with his wife Esther and daughter Jasmine by his side, he spends the remaining hours with close advisors in a hotel in Nimes. Much of the dinner table chatter revolves around Jasmine's boyfriend; Fouad Nerrouche, a well-known actor with the same Algerian origins as her father, who has just publicly endorsed Chaouch's candidacy. However shallow it may seem, it's difficult to ignore the influence of celebrity support in this complex and unpredictable race . . .
The same day. Saint-Etienne.
The Nerrouche family is frantically preparing for a grand wedding, and Fouad himself is there to help out. But younger cousin Krim - who has recently lost his job - is becoming increasingly agitated, and no one knows why. As the day goes on, it becomes clear that the cousin's problems go far deeper than unemployment. Krim has been stealing from a local gang leader and after being discovered, found himself indebted to his powerful cousin, Nazir - Fouad's brother. Nazir is a very shady figure, and is heavily involved in a dark underworld of crime. Together, their plans will cause Fouad's two very different worlds to meet in a way no one would have dared to imagine. Within a few hours, the threads start to unravel, and the collision between the destiny of a family and the hopes of a country becomes inevitable.
With the pacing of a thriller, Louatah melds the tense atmosphere of a family saga with the gripping suspense of a political drama into one breathtaking read.

Stella is delighted to announce the 2018 Stella Prize shortlist of extraordinary books by Australian women.

In a year when women’s voices are demanding to be heard, the 2018 Stella Prize shortlist showcases the power and diversity of writing by women in Australia. The determination required to create change, and the political necessity of telling our own stories, shines through in the fiction and nonfiction of this year’s list. The prominence of books by smaller independent publishers speaks to the vibrancy of Australian publishing, and the shortlist as a whole is a testament to the potency of women’s writing in Australia today.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is named winner of the 2017 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Lincoln in the Bardo is the first full-length novel from George Saunders, internationally renowned short story writer.